Overview
Although some believe eating carbohydrates, like starches, at night can cause weight gain and other metabolic issues, the jury is still out regarding its validity. Starches are complex carbohydrates naturally present in grains, fruits and vegetables, such as rice, wheat, corn and potatoes. Regardless of the time of day, following a balanced diet is the most effective way to maintain your weight.
About Starch
Although most fruits, vegetables and grains contain starch, certain foods are abundant in the compound. For example, potatoes, wheat, rice, corn, oats and barley are particularly starchy foods and excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, fiber and phytonutrients, notes Physician Nutrition Specialist Dr. Melina Jampolis of CNN. Healthy eating requires you to limit refined starches, such as white rice and bleached flour in white bread and white pasta, because they can lead to health complications like obesity and diabetes. These foods are stripped of their nutrient- and fiber-rich parts, leaving only the starchy interior, Jampolis notes.
Starch Night Eating Effects
The primary function of carbohydrates, like starches, is to provide energy for the body, particularly the brain and nervous system. By nighttime, you have usually already consumed the necessary calories for your day; eating additional carbohydrates can increase your total calories and lead to weight gain when the body stores the extra calories as fat. Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D., of MayoClinic.com says diabetics who eat carbohydrates at night may wake up the next morning with high blood sugar.
In a study, mice fed a high-fat diet during their regular sleep time increased their weight by 48 percent. Mice fed during their regular feeding time only increased their weight by 20 percent, reports MSNBC.com on a the study in the September 2009 issue of "Obesity." Collazo-Clavell says late-night snacks add extra calories, which can lead to weight gain, especially if the foods contain carbohydrates.
Eating at Night and Weight Gain
Some researchers say nighttime eating causes weight gain. ScienceDaily reports on a 2006 article published in the journal "Obesity" where researchers discovered that feeding rhesus monkeys at different times at night had the same influence on weight as eating during they day. The researchers noted that rhesus monkeys are ideal models for studying human obesity issues. However, researchers in this study fed the monkeys during off-hours in a "snacking" fashion, while researchers from the 2009 study fed the mice at night exclusively. This difference may suggest that a nighttime diet -- such as those held by night-shift workers -- may increase the likelihood of weight gain, although simply eating at night may not.
Bottom Line
The connection between late-night eating and weight gain remains controversial. "The New York Times" reports on a study published in the April 2011 "Obesity" that supports the notion that night eating does have an effect on weight. The study showed that "late sleepers" -- those with a sleep midpoint at 5:30 a.m. or later, had higher body mass indexes, as they tended to eat more calories at dinner. Since starches are calorie-rich, they may potentially play a role in health issues if you consume them at night. Eating too many starches in general can be detrimental to your health -- carbohydrates should ideally comprise 40 to 60 percent of your overall calories each day.
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